MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar issued the following statement in honor of Veterans Day.

“Happy Veterans Day to all of our incredible veterans. Our veterans’ commitment to service truly represents the best of our nation’s ideals. The sacrifice that you have made to a cause that is greater than yourselves should always be remembered.

“That is why on Veterans Day we pause, our whole country pauses, to honor your service and patriotism.

“Whether you fought on the beaches of Normandy, the jungles of Vietnam, in the waters off Korea, the mountains of Afghanistan, the sands of Iraq, or served us here at home. You are owed a debt that we will never be able to truly repay, as are your families.

“One way we can honor and thank our service members is by making sure that you get the jobs, healthcare, and benefits you deserve when you get home. We must fight for you as you have fought for us.

“Here’s one example: After 33 years of service to our country, Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt) Brian Magnuson spent years navigating multiple obstacles and frustrating bureaucratic mistakes in an attempt to receive his entire military retirement pension.

“I think you've heard this story before. Sometimes it's about our vets at home trying to get their healthcare, sometimes it's their pensions, sometimes it's even a simple thing like medals that should honor their service. Well, when SMSgt Magnuson came to my office and talked to our wonderful staff requesting help correcting his benefits, they worked together to navigate a complicated system to get the Air Force and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service to fix the mistakes and properly compensate him for his decades of service. I wish he didn't have to do that to get it done, but I'm happy to say that last month, due to his diligence, SMSgt Magnuson finally received the pay that he'd earned.

“More and more, we're calling on our service members to serve several duties of duty throughout the world, and in this case an Air Force Veteran – someone who served our country for over half of his life – instead of being treated with the respect and honor he had earned, he was being short changed.

“This is the way I look at it. When our men and women sign up to serve there's not a waiting line. And when they come home there shouldn’t be a waiting line for the benefits they earned, or the job that they seek, or the education that they want.  I’m thankful for SMSgt Magnuson’s 33 years of service to our nation.

“That is just one example. There's examples of our veterans being injured, sometimes in small ways, sometimes in major ways, in battle and still coming home. There's beautiful examples of our veterans coming home and being leaders in business, in volunteering, in their religious institutions, in politics, you name it. It really matters.

“We must make sure that on Veterans Day, we’re reminded of the exceptional commitment and extraordinary service that our democracy demands, and of all the brave men and women who have stepped forward to protect it. That same democracy demands that we fight for our servicemembers as they have fought for us.

“Thank you. Thank you not just on Veterans Day, but every day.”

For video of Klobuchar reading the statement, click HERE. For a WAV file, click HERE.

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